


you and me, zhu li

by avatarellie



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/M, Fluffy, i love them, let it be known i'm the first zhutar fic on this website, nerds, nerds in love yeah, soft, theyre so Soft, zhu li and baatar are so good hear me out, zhutar nation rise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:06:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28793640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avatarellie/pseuds/avatarellie
Summary: What happens when a man is entranced by a beautiful brain?
Relationships: Zhu Li Moon/Baatar Jr.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 7





	you and me, zhu li

**Author's Note:**

> HI HELLO. Here's my contribution to this website: the first ever Zhu Li/Baatar pairing. You're welcome. I will be writing more about them because they're so good, just hear me out.

Zhu Li and Baatar work on opposite ends of the room, occupying themselves with the task of getting at least one part of the weapon to work. They have been unsuccessful, bouncing ideas across the room to each other, attempting time and time again to troubleshoot the issues at hand. Zhu Li does most of the talking, leaving Baatar dumbfounded as to how she ended up beneath a dunce like Varrick. She makes a verbal note of a new approach and he jots down her thoughts as they come, readjusting his work station every now and then. Occasional curses tumble from his lips as he clips himself with the pliers a tad too hard or shocks himself with an exposed wire. Zhu Li is much more careful though, small hands squeezing between gaps that Baatar can’t reach on his own, which usually prompts a request of assistance. Zhu Li obliges when called, but otherwise sticks to her own station. 

A door swings open and the firm, steady _thump, thump, thump,_ of boots against the floor alerts the two of Kuvira’s presence. Her intensity washes over the room like a thick fog as she takes long strides towards Baatar, hands clasped behind her back in her typical fashion. The man stops what he’s doing to glance at Kuvira, who studies the machine, not bothering to flick her eyes in his direction. She stands about two feet in front of him, turning her torso to get a fuller view of his work.

“How is the progress?” she asks, peering at him from the side of her eye. He smooths out his pants and runs his hand through his hair before answering her– Baatar knows better than to appear disheveled in front of his partner. He can hear her chastising him for appearing disorderly without her ever having to open her mouth. 

“It’s, eh, it’s slower than anticipated. We’ve run into some problems that are hindering full capacity of the weapon,” he answers. He avoids telling her the full truth, instead watching the subtle shift of her jaw. Normally, he would admire the sharpness of the bone and the way the frame pulls her features together cleanly, but this isn’t normal. He can feel her energy drop, he knows she’s cutting them down to the wire. She wants to ambush Republic City long before they expect her to. Kuvira has always been ambitious. 

A low grumble is heard at the bottom of her throat and she moves again, this time much slower. She examines every inch of the machine, flicking her eyes every now and then to Zhu Li, who continues working diligently after dipping her head in acknowledgment of Kuvira. 

“Problems,” Kuvira repeats bitterly, running two fingers against the cool metal. “You’re going to fix these ‘problems,’ correct?” It’s not a question though, they all know that. It’s a threat. She spins around on a heel to face Baatar again, her eyes boring into his. He shudders inwardly. This is the first time she’s cast her full attention on him today, and it’s because she’s _threatening_ him. 

“Of course, Kuvira. We just need some time, that’s all.” Kuvira turns and begins to approach Zhu Li.

“I’ve given you nothing but time, Baatar. I expected to see results by now.” She stops beside Zhu Li, eyeing the switch that remains in the ‘off’ position. “Turn it on.” Baatar fights himself, trying not to stammer. 

“Kuvira, it’s not ready to–”

“I said turn it on. I won’t ask again.” Wordlessly, Zhu Li sets her tools down and flicks the switch up and, as expected by both her and Baatar, there is no response from the machine. Kuvira tightens her lips. “So, ‘not ready’ translates to ‘doesn’t even turn on?’ What have you been doing this whole time? Playing tic-tac-toe? Singing sea shanties to each other?” Zhu Li quietly flips the switch back to the off position as Kuvira admonishes them, picking her tools back up and attempting to continue to work. 

“Like I said, we’ve run into some problems,” Baatar defends. Kuvira’s expression dares him to say another word she perceives to be out of line. He closes his mouth and lets a breath of frustration air through his nostrils.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you what the problem is. I have a pair of incompetent engineers who are failing miserably at their jobs.” Kuvira scoffs and flips the switch again, as if somehow expecting the machine to respond to her touch. She flips the switch over and over, becoming more irate with every click of the switch leading to nothing. The machine stays dim. Kuvira’s face darkens and she slams a fist against the top of the machine with a loud thud, an aggressive grunt to pair, which startles Zhu Li in the midst of her work. Zhu Li’s hands fumble with her tools and she accidentally snips a wire in the process, not unbeknownst to Kuvira. Zhu Li curses silently and faces the taller woman, bracing herself for the verbal daggers to come. Kuvira’s typically stoic demeanor fades quickly as her eyebrows twitch over piercing eyes. Her lips curl back into a snarl and she moves to stand over Zhu Li, snatching the tool from her hand. 

“What are you _doing?_ ” Kuvira spits. “This is supposed to be the most powerful weapon in history, and you’re sitting here clipping my wires and failing to bring it to life! What are you here for?” Six sheets of metal fly off of her biceps and fixate in the direction of the cowering woman. 

“I- I- I’m so sorry, Great Uniter. I didn’t mean to, my hands slipped!” Zhu Li stammers, raising her hands in submission. Kuvira’s nostrils flare as her hands straighten out, bringing the sheets of metal dangerously close to the other woman. 

“You useless fucking girl!” The shorter woman squeezes her eyes shut, turning her head at an angle, and tries to focus on her breathing which is becoming more rapid. Kuvira’s wrath is interrupted by Baatar’s voice. 

“Kuvira! Knock it off!” he shouts, rising to his feet. Her head snaps around and she gives a deadly glare, turning her body away from Zhu Li. 

“Excuse me?”

“That’s enough, Kuvira. Your message was loud and clear. Leave us before you do something you’ll really regret,” Baatar warns, his face unwavering beneath her furious gaze. She brings the metal back in its place around her arms and once again begins to step towards Baatar. Her arms stay rigidly by her side as she advances toward him, calculating his body language versus her own movements. 

“ _You_ need to know your place, Baatar. Your little assistant here is clipping your wires and causing problems with my machine,” Kuvira challenges. Baatar stands firm, imitating Kuvira’s usual coolness, clasping his hands together in front of his body. He’s not sure where the confidence came from, but any reason to challenge the authority over him is good enough.

“ _Zhu Li_ was doing quite fine until you intimidated the life out of her,” the man retorts. The wild gaze he earns prompts him to take a step forward. “Perhaps you should work on your people skills. You won’t have your weapon if you get rid of either one of us.” Kuvira’s jaw tightens at his rebuttals. She’s not used to somebody talking back to her, especially not him. He reads the way her mind falters for a moment and narrows his eyes with a slight tilt of his head, mirroring the daring look Kuvira provided earlier. 

“You had better watch yourself or I’ll–” 

“You’ll what? Send me to camp? Break my fingers? Good luck with your super weapon then.” Kuvira’s cheeks heat up and for the first time, she is unable to get a word out. The sounds that do escape her lips come in broken stutters. She can’t believe that Baatar, of all people, is doing this to her. Kuvira says nothing and turns away, approaching the door rapidly. She slows down when her hand reaches the handle.

“Get it done,” she tells them, keeping her back to the two. The bender leaves without another word and slams the door after her. Zhu Li glances at Baatar, relief flooding her face. 

“Thank you, sir,” she says. Baatar holds up a hand and waves it slightly. 

“Baatar. Just call me Baatar,” he says. She nods slowly, the corners of her mouth barely turning upwards.

“Alright, Baatar,” she repeats, emphasizing his name. He grins at the emphasis and wonders if she ever called Varrick by his first name or if it was strictly ‘sir.’ “I can’t believe you stood up to Kuvira like that.” The statement earns a smooth chuckle. 

“Neither can I,” Baatar admits. “She deserved it, though. I won’t have her bully you around. You’re easily the best partner I’ve ever had, and considering this massive thing, I need your help. You’re a brilliant woman.” This time it’s Zhu Li who smiles fully. She’s never heard these kinds of praises from Varrick. She hasn’t felt truly appreciated like this. Needed, sure. Wanted, maybe. But appreciated? That’s a different ball game for her. “You’re too good for him, you know.”

“What do you mean?” Zhu Li asks. She’s sure she knows what he means, but she just wants to _hear it_ for once.

“I mean you’re too smart, too capable to be kept underneath a boot like his. You deserve somebody that can appreciate that brilliant brain and power fully.” The woman chews her lip, kicking her shoe a bit. 

“Maybe I’ll find them one day.”

“Maybe they’re standing in front of you.” Her mouth opens, but she’s too stunned to say anything. The confidence he had earlier wavers as the heat creeps up his neck. “Listen, I’ve worked close enough with you to know that maybe we could have something. Maybe it’s a reach, maybe I’m crazy, but can we give it a shot? You and me, Zhu Li.”

“What about…?” she trails off, but he knows the question. 

“I’ll deal with that later. What do you say?” Zhu Li looks to her feet, then back into pale green eyes. 

“Okay.”


End file.
